Toying with Love
by eruditeamber
Summary: George Weasley and Padma Patil are both twins, both strong-headed, and both enjoy a good laugh. When DA lessons and the further uncertainty of life beyond Hogwarts bring them closer together, will they find a true bond, or learn only how to toy with love
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any corresponding characters. That credit goes to Ms. Jo Rowling.

Padma was careful as she walked to the Ravenclaw common room. She had stayed in the library too late. Now it was midnight and she was doing her best not to be seen by either Filch or Mrs. Norris.

It was so dark in the castle at night that she had no choice but to use her wand light. As she turned down the next dark corridor, she felt her breath hitch in her throat when she heard movement up ahead of her. The movement was out of range of the illuminated path her wand provided.

She quickly muttered, "_Nox_."

She backed up against the wall of the corridor and breathed in shallow, almost gasping bursts.

All movement ceased. Moments ticked by, and just as she was beginning to think she might have imagined the sounds, she heard a familiar voice, almost right next to her, say "_Lumos_."

George Weasley stood not five feet in front of her, glaring and nearly blinding her with wand light.

Padma squinted her eyes against the light, but otherwise felt relief flood through her.

"Could you please point your wand in another direction?"

He lowered it a bit. "That depends. What are you doing out of bed this late Padma? Are you being a naughty girl, perhaps?"

Padma rolled her eyes. "I was looking up some information in the library for a report, if you must know George. I lost track of time but I had to get it done. It's due first thing tomorrow."

George smirked. "I didn't know you were so studious Padma. Are you sure that's what you were doing and you weren't up to any illicit activities? Like a tryst with a fellow Ravenclaw?"

"Oh please. If that's what I was doing why would we have gone so far away from Ravenclaw tower? It wouldn't make that much sense, would it? Besides, I don't have trysts."

George smiled in obvious amusement. "True enough. Well, since you appear to be innocent after all, you may go."

Padma felt a little anger stir at his words. "True enough? What is that supposed to mean?"

George laughed. "No offense intended, but it's obvious you're as innocent as a baby."

Padma felt indignation shimmer. "I could go on plenty of dates if I had a mind to."

Suddenly George lowered his wand to his side and walked until they were so close their lips were almost touching.

"I didn't think we were talking about dates, love."

Padma couldn't think of a reply, as his closeness to her had sent her brain fizzling.

_No I suppose we weren't talking about dates, were we George?_

She stood there and waited for him to say something else, but he didn't seem inclined to, and so she just found herself staring into his brown eyes the best she could in the dim light.

"So what do you think of the DA so far?"

Padma jumped slightly at his voice. She had been so immersed in his eyes that she hadn't seen his mouth move.

"Well, we've only had one meeting, but I think it'll go fine. Harry's great, and anyone with a brain can see that all is not well like the Ministry keeps trying to force us to believe."

George thought about her answer for just a second. "So you don't think it's going to be a waste of your time?"

Padma shook her head. "Of course not. Why would I?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I hear some of the kids have been saying stuff like that already."

"Well they're stupid then. Anyway, I really do need to get back to my common room."

"Just a minute."

Padma was quite sure she stopped breathing for a few moments. The look on George's face was a very male one, full of self-assurance and cockiness.

She knew what he was going to do a split second before he did it, and she did not try to pull away.

He lowered his face to hers, and covered her lips with his. His lips were soft and warm, and seemed electrified somehow.

She gasped when the tip of his tongue touched her bottom lip, but still didn't protest. It was wonderful and exciting and like nothing she had ever felt before.

Just then, through the haze of emotion she was feeling, she heard wheezing down a ways to her left. George backed off a little, but stayed very close to her. They both looked down the hallway, and to her despair, there was Filch, holding his lantern aloft and grinning as he always did when he caught children up to no good.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in the following story. J.K. Rowling has the honor and glory.

Filch's office was scary, to say the least, especially since Padma had never been in it before. George however, seemed perfectly at ease on the other rickety chair beside of her.

"Since it's after hours, I had to wake Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. They'll be with us quick enough." Filch said this with such a maniacal gleam in his eye that Padma wished fervently that the professors were at the office door already.

"I'll bet McGonagall and Flitwick are real pleased with us, Padma girl," George said with poorly disguised laughter in his voice.

Padma fumed at his nonchalant statement. "George, why don't you just shut the hell—"

"That's quite enough Miss Patil." Padma cringed when she heard that Professor Flitwick's normally squeaky, pleasant voice had steel in it.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick walked to stand behind Filch. Neither looked pleased at being woken up or at being in the bitter squib's dingy little office. McGonagall broke the tense little silence first.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Patil, the pair of you will be serving two detentions with each other. Professor Flitwick and I have decided that your first detention will be tomorrow night at seven o'clock. You will be cleaning out one of the empty storage rooms in the dungeons. When you have finished you will report to Professor Flitwick's office. He will give you instruction for your second detention. Questions?"

Padma shook her head gently. When she looked around, she saw the George was smiling slightly.

_I can't believe he's enjoying this. He looks so cute, though. Wonder if he's going to acknowledge what happened in the hallway…maybe he's already forgotten about it._

Padma frowned at that thought. She hoped she wasn't a bad kisser, and she also hoped that George wanted to kiss her again, but she'd definitely be keeping that to herself for a while.

Professor Flitwick smiled gently now, "Since the two of you need your rest, you'd both better be off now. I'll see you tomorrow."

Padma and George rose simultaneously and left the musty office. They walked in silence until they came to the entrance hall. They stopped together when they knew they would be going in different directions.

George smirked. "Well, can't say it hasn't been fun love, but I'm beat."

"George Weasley, you are the most smug, arrogant, insufferable human being I've ever met." Padma glared at him as she said the words.

"Oh, feisty little thing aren't you? What is it Padma darling? Are you angry that you've got detentions now?" George's voice was mocking.

"Yes as a matter of fact, I am slightly pissed that I've got two detentions, and yes I am feisty. If you don't like that, you'll just have to deal with it."

George stepped towards her. "I like it," he said in a low, sensual voice.

Padma gulped. Was he going to kiss her again? Suddenly she wasn't sure whether she wanted him to or not. She had butterflies in her stomach and her throat was dry.

George leaned down. Padma held her breath in anticipation. He skimmed his lips up her jaw line, from chin to ear. Then his teeth closed delicately over her earlobe. Padma heard her own gasp. George stepped back, smiling smugly again.

"Sweet dreams love." With that he turned and walked up the staircase.

Padma stood there for a moment, feeling the wondrous sensation of blood pulsing excitedly through her body. When she started in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower, she smiled slightly. She knew what her dreams would be about—and they would be sweet.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these fabulous characters. That wondrous privilege goes to the brilliant J.K. Rowling.

Padma had been feeling just **slightly** on edge all day. Atleast, slightly was all she'd admit to herself. She felt she had a right to that though, seeing as how she hadn't a clue what to expect this evening in detention. Alone. With George Weasley.

_What have I gotten myself into anyway?_

Classes were done for the day, so she was busily getting work done. She didn't want to have to bother with it after detention. She had no way of knowing when they would finish, and to be honest, she knew her mind would be elsewhere when she got back to Ravenclaw Tower.

When she surfaced after her finishing up her fascinating Divination assignment, she glanced at the clock in the corner of the common room. It was already 6:30. She would be late if she didn't leave put her things away and leave now.

_Okay George, _Padma thought as she was stuffing books hurriedly into her bag, _here we go._

Padma arrived at Professor Flitwick's office promptly at 6:55. She knew she was a little too excited about being alone with George, but she just couldn't chide herself for it. As she looked eagerly around the office for him, she realized he wasn't there yet.

_Typical. Doesn't he realize that him being late could get us both another detention? _

Professor Flitwick sat patiently at his desk, discussing the book he was reading with the book itself. Unlike a lot of the other talking books at Hogwarts, this one seemed to be behaving itself. It even sounded friendly. Maybe it was simply because it was talking with a professor.

At her approach, Flitwick looked up and smiled.

"Hello Padma dear. I'm sure you're not happy about the detention ahead, but it will be over quickly enough. Did Mr. Weasley accompany you to my office?"

Padma shook her head. "No sir. I came straight from Ravenclaw Tower and I haven't laid eyes on him."

Flitwick glanced at the clock on his wall. It was 7:02.

"Tsk tsk. I know Mr. Weasley doesn't think much of rules, but he really shouldn't be late for a detention."

Padma studied her Flitwick's face carefully. She knew her Head of House well. He wasn't really angry.

_Well at leas t Professor Flitwick is in a good mood. But why isn't George here by now? _

She was disgruntled because she had been looking forward to this all day and here George apparently didn't care one way or the other. Hmph…

"Well have a seat Miss Patil. We'll head down to the dungeons as soon as Mr. Weasley has the courtesy to join us."

Padma had barely sat when she heard footsteps. She turned to look and there was George already aiming his charming grin at Professor Flitwick. She glanced at the clock. It was 7:08.

"Sorry I'm late sir. I lost track of the time."

Flitwick aimed a stern look at George. "I trust you won't make the same mistake again, young man."

"Wouldn't dream of it sir." With this, George turned to look at her and winked. She couldn't help but respond. He really was too charming for his own good.

Professor Flitwick hopped down out of the big chair and walked around his desk.

"Alright dears. I will lead you down to the storage room and once you are finished with the cleaning, you are to report back to my office for dismissal for bed. The directions to this particular room are simple so you shouldn't have to worry about getting lost on your way back. Follow me."

He led the way out of his office with Padma and George following behind. George leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Too bad Flitwick doesn't seem to know that it's almost impossible for me to get lost in this castle. I don't think anyone knows it better than Fred and me, not even Dumbledore."

Padma grinned. She knew this to probably be true, though she did guess that Dumbledore probably had at least a little on the mischeivious twins.

They continued down to the dungeons quietly, not wanting Flitwick to get wind that they would be enjoying their detention. If that happened, he might make them separate for the one tomorrow.

At the end of a long corridor, there was an ancient looking door with rusty hinges. At one glance Padma could tell it was used for storage due to the lack of upkeep on the hinges. All the classrooms in the castle that were used had hinges that were black and well oiled.

Flitwick turned to them. "Here we are children. Though you are not supposed to use magic outside the classroom, I will permit it here because of the simple fact it would take you days to get it decent looking without it. As it is, you should both be done in a few hours. I will see you then."

He opened the door with a flick of his wand, then added another flick that had the old, dusty candles that lined the room shimmering to life. He turned and left them without another word.

Padma had to bite back a gasp as the room lit up. It was truly filthy.

_Ugh. This place is barely suitable for storage._

She turned to George. "Where do you think we should start?"

George laughed. "I think that should be fairly obvious, but since I'm sure you don't want to be here all night and get no rest with classes tomorrow, maybe we should work a while before we start playing." His eyes were gleaming in the candlelight. They looked impish, and quite frankly he looked so handsome standing there that Padma had to fight to breathe.

_This is going to be enlightening._

Padma decided no reply was the safest path, and with a sweep of her wand, began the task at hand.

**Author's Note: First of all I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart to my readers. My life has been in disarray for a long time, and I'm only now able to focus on things I do for myself again. I can honestly say this is the first thing I have written in two years. Please, please read and review. Let me know if it sucks. Let me know if it doesn't. I need to know what you think. It's been a long time and I've lost confidence in my writing style. I promise you all regular updates from now on, as often as I can possibly manage. I just have to get back into the swing of things. Thanks to those of you who haven't forgotten about me and still care. It's feels good to be back…EruditeAmber**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters. They belong to Jo Rowling. I just borrow them from her so I can play with them

It had been approximately one hour since Flitwick had walked out of the storage room, leaving Padma alone with George. In that hour they had gotten quite a bit of cleaning done, and aside from the occasional naughty remark, George had been behaving himself.

Padma was currently cleaning dust from the walls, which was complicated and seemed as though it was taking an eternity. George was focused on rearranging the various containers, trunks, and chests in the room in order to somehow make them appear orderly.

Padma felt she had earned a tiny break, so she walked over and sat down on a low table in the center of the room. When George realized she had stopped, he promptly stowed his wand in his pocket and sat down next to her.

"Had enough, eh? So have I," he said with his trademark wink.

Padma thought a moment before saying, "It just feels like we're never going to finish."

"Are you kidding? We've done great so far. If Flitwick walked in here right now, he'd probably think he'd walked into the wrong room."

"Maybe, but there's still a lot left for us to do."

George grinned and moved closer to her on the table, so that their thighs were pressed together. "I know there is."

Padma's heart fluttered but she only rolled her eyes, "I didn't mean it that way."

George leaned over until he was so close their noses were barely apart. "You want to though, don't you?"

Before she could open her mouth to reply he added, "Don't even try to lie love. You're too innocent to sound convincing."

"Lying has nothing to do with being innocent in the way you are referring to George Weasley."

_Oh God, that is not how I wanted to say that. I just all but admitted that I'm a virgin. _

Padma could feel heat creeping into her cheeks. She decided to stare at the wall in front of them.

Then George spoke quietly, as if he felt the tension inside her, "There's no reason to be embarrassed about it, you know."

She turned to face him and was surprised to see that he seemed serious. The usual amused glint was definitely not in his eyes. It was awkward. She'd never really seen George be serious before.

Padma took a deep breath. "It's just not something I've ever discussed with anyone but my sister. I mean, I'm not the type of girl who feels the need to talk about those things all the time. And I suppose I'm a little nervous about talking about it with you, because for all I know, the whole school might be talking about it tomorrow."

George laughed, "Yeah Padma. I'll definitely scream out that you're a virgin during breakfast. That should score me some points with you, huh? Besides, do you really think I'm that insensitive?"

Padma glared at him until he relented, "Okay, so maybe I am a **little**. But I'm not cruel, and I'm almost never truly mean unless there's a reason." He smiled as he said this.

Padma sighed. She was suddenly certain that his smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she knew she was being ridiculous. She had come tonight with the intentions of having fun and enjoying herself, and now she was acting like a fool. She felt the tension draining out of her.

_I hope he kisses me again soon._

"Truce?" George asked.

Padma smiled and held out her hand for a shake. "Truce," she replied.

Her eyes widened when instead of shaking her hand, George placed his hands on her hips and pulled her against him. "Close your eyes," he whispered.

She complied. He began by tilting her head back so that her neck was exposed to his touch. George lazily stroked his fingertips from her chin to her chest bone and back again. Padma shivered with each movement he made against her sensitive skin.

Then he replaced his fingers with his mouth. He nuzzled her neck at first, but then began to kiss it softly, his lips following the same path his fingertips had, leaving a moistened trail along her skin. When he reached her collarbone, he bit playfully, and Padma moaned without realizing it. She opened her eyes, and saw that he was smiling. The smile was a bit more teasing than Padma would have liked, but she supposed if George didn't tease her, he wouldn't be George.

"Having fun?" he asked her impishly.

She felt herself blushing again but decided to answer, "Quite."

And then, with her neck still humming from his earlier attentions, he was kissing her deeply, endlessly, as if he would never stop. He kissed her as she'd never been kissed before, and all she knew was it was the most incredible thing she had ever felt.

The kiss grew fierce, and George repeatedly ran his fingers through her hair until her careful braid was gone and the silky raven mass was free. Padma moaned into his mouth when he began to caress her scalp sensuously, and she realized she ached in a way that she had never ached before, and she knew with some archaic female instinct that George was the only thing that could soothe the ache.

But then he stopped. She was so dazed that she would have collapsed if his arms hadn't been supporting her. She looked questioningly up at him, confusion clear in her tawny eyes.

"Alright?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes, but…"

"Just give me a moment." He turned and walked to the only empty corner in the room, sat down and began rubbing his forehead with his hand. He appeared to be in pain and Padma could see clearly that every muscle in his body was rigid.

_What's wrong? Why did he pull away from me like that?_

Suddenly, in control again but certainly not at ease, he rose. "I think we need to get back to cleaning. We still have a lot to do and I'm sure you're tired love."

_Tired? How can I be tired when you've got me aching like this? My body feels like its screaming. I completely forgot that we're in detention. _

Ever a lady, Padma didn't say a word. She simply got out her wand and picked up the cleaning where she had left off.

Two and a half hours later the storage room was as clean as it was ever going to be. The time had passed quickly with them both finally focused on finishing the detention. George had been his usual self, talking and making jokes. Padma had been cordial, speaking when it was expected but not voluntarily beginning conversation.

She wasn't angry. She had already realized that George had been right to stop. They had a detention to serve. She was also forced to admit that, had halting their encounter been left up to her, they would have just kept right on going. Being what she was, she was not accustomed to passion. George had swept her up in the tide and her brain had ceased to function. Padma frowned to herself.

_This whole thing is much more difficult than I imagined. Stopping didn't enter my mind. Nothing entered my mind. Is it always like that? Hmmm…_

"Where have you gone off to?" George's teasing voice brought her back to the present.

"No where. I was just thinking. Anyway, I suppose we should report back to Flitwick so we can go to bed."

At her choice of words, George smirked. "And are you ready for bed, Padma dear?"

Padma smirked back, unafraid and surprisingly flirtatious, "Of course."

They laughed at themselves and started walking toward the door. Instead of opening it though, Padma turned and looked up into George's eyes.

"George?"

"Yes, Padma?"

"Next time, don't stop."

George's eyes widened before he recovered and said easily, "Don't worry. Next time, I won't."

**Author's Note: Okay, so I think that it could use a lot more editing, but this was how it played in my head so I pretty much left it alone. And don't get too frustrated with me for having George pull back…give him some credit girls! He might be a teenage boy but he's more romantic than throwing a girl to a cold, dingy stone floor her first time, right? And I would also like to note that no babies will be conceived in this story. I think that is way overplayed in HP fanfiction that takes place at Hogwarts. George will be a gentleman and handle the contraceptives since Padma is inexperienced. Anyway, tell me what you think. This chapter is key to the rest of the story so I hope it turned out okay. And to NishaNight: I'm not sure how involved I'll make other characters. I originally planned to keep the focus on George and Padma, but we'll see how it goes…EruditeAmber**__


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters. I can live with that though, because I get to manipulate them to my heart's content

Two Days Later

Padma stretched under the covers before opening her eyes, but when she did open them, she discovered that the sun was shining beautifully. She smiled and hurriedly got out of bed to shower and dress. She wanted to be out in the sunshine before it decided to slip back behind the clouds.

While Padma was showering she thought repeatedly of detention the previous night. She had fully expected (and been prepared) for George to take possibly unfair advantage of her. They had been punished this time with having to give a rather disgusting bathroom on the second floor a good scrubbing. But from the moment they had been left alone together, George had been, well…friendly.

He was extremely funny as always and kept her at ease the entire time, but never once had he tried anything naughty. She turned it over and over in her brain and tried to make sense of it. She didn't understand why he had suddenly had this change of heart.

_I mean I would have settled for a chaste little peck on the cheek. Something rather nothing._

At first she had felt hurt, but as the evening had wore on, George was so friendly and charming that she had truly enjoyed their detention together. Even though it had seemed he was treating her like one of his mates.

When Padma finished dressing, she took her time walking to the Great Hall. She wasn't very hungry and on impulse decided she'd rather a walk in the sunshine around the grounds any day. She could always eat later.

She followed instinct and found herself lazily walking toward the Lake. There weren't many other people outside because even though it was gloriously sunny, it was also quite cold. Padma didn't mind.

Once at the Lake, she started slowly making her way around it. She hadn't gone far when she heard someone shout her name. When she turned around, she saw George, eyes lit up and smiling, jogging to catch up with her.

"Hey, love," he said somewhat raggedly. She knew George to be in great shape, so he must have really put some gusto into catching up to her.

"Hello George. How is it this morning?"

"Great, now that I get to take a walk with a pretty girl," he winked, as usual, and Padma could feel her heart speed up instantaneously.

"Hmmm…well I don't suppose walking with you will be a hardship," she said with a genuine smile that made George laugh.

"I'm glad you're not opposed to my presence. So where's your sister? I mean, I know the two of you aren't always together like Fred and I, but it doesn't seem that you've been hanging around each other much lately."

Padma was surprised that he would've paid enough attention to come to that observation. She was silent for a couple of minutes before answering.

"I don't know where she is at the moment. I'm not her keeper and she's not mine. I love her dearly, but we're not your typical twins. We're not attached at the hip the way you and Fred are for example. I'm not mad at her or anything. We're perfectly fine. We have just branched out a little, I suppose. We're not how we used to be when we were young girls, when we had to be in each other's pocket constantly. But she'll always be my best friend, and it wouldn't matter if we didn't see each other for five years, we could still finish each other's sentences once reunited."

George pondered over this for a moment, then on impulse reached out and took her hand in his while they continued their easy pace. Padma looked down at their joined hands. He held hers in a friendly, almost carefree way, but firm enough so that her hand didn't slip from his. She looked up at his face and saw that he staring straight ahead. His side profile, with the sunlight in the background, was breathtaking.

They walked in companionable silence until Padma decided to break it.

"So have you given much thought to You-Know-Who's return?"

George looked thunderstruck. "Well, of course. Haven't you?"

Padma shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, quite a lot of thought. But in case you haven't noticed, most others are acting completely carefree, like there's no strife in the making. I understand that it's hard to believe and accept, but George, I can't comprehend the intelligent wizards out there who are acting as though there's not one shred of possibility."

Now George shrugged his shoulders, "Ignorance is bliss, I suppose."

"It really must be. I'm so glad we've got DA though. What with the busywork and fluff Umbridge has us doing, we'd be near to helpless if a situation ever did arise in which we needed to defend ourselves. I'm just glad we're doing something. Knowing he's out there, looming somewhere, made me feel completely helpless. Now that I've got the DA to look forward to every week, I don't feel quite so helpless now."

"You're a very talented witch, Padma. I would never have thought of you as helpless, in any circumstance. But I get your line of thinking there. Let's walk over here and sit down."

So they walked away from the lake and sat under an enormous and ancient tree on the cold ground. Minutes, then hours passed in easy conversation. Padma couldn't quite believe how much time they had spent talking. She had never been able to talk so long with anyone but her sister and not run out of things to say. Talking with George was so easy. It was like he held a key that simply unlocked her thoughts and opinions, and he talked almost as much as she did. Each learned a lot about the other and at the same time began an intimacy that had nothing to do with their attraction, on this simple cold day on the Hogwarts grounds.

When it got close to time for dinner, they reluctantly began their way back to the castle. The day had passed almost magically, and neither wanted it to end. When George took her hand again, Padma sighed in contentment.

As they were approaching the steps up to the main entry way, George stopped walking and turned to her and smiled.

"Padma I had an amazing time today."

Her answering smile was full of warmth. "So did I."

He hesitated for a moment, then leaned down and kissed her. As soon as his lips touched hers, she closed her eyes and began to tremble in reaction. He nibbled playfully on her bottom lip, and the swiftness of the arousal in her belly was dizzying. He cupped the back of her neck with one hand and took the kiss deeper, while still holding her other hand. Padma blissfully lost contact with the earth. She was sure if she opened her eyes, she would be floating in the sky. George tongue delved deep again, and she trembled violently and moaned. He lifted his lips from hers and smiled, "You're magnificent."

Padma blushed deeply. "You don't know me well enough to think I'm magnificent."

"Oh but I do love. We need to get to the Great Hall, but first I have to ask you something."

Padma swallowed. Her throat had suddenly become dry. "What is it?"

George kept his eyes careful on hers. "Will you meet me in the Astronomy Tower tonight?"

Her breath hitched in throat. Literally. After taking two deep, solid breaths to steady herself, she met his gaze again. "Sure. What time were you thinking?"

George smiled, sweetly but wickedly at the same time, "Midnight would be perfect."

"Midnight sounds wonderful," she replied calmly, trying not to respond to that wickedly delicious smile. It wouldn't do for her to jump him and make him forget his senses right here on the steps to the castle, would it?

They walked up the steps together and through the entry hall, but parted ways naturally once inside the Great Hall, her steps taking her naturally to Ravenclaw table, while his led him to Gryffindor. Before she sat, she turned and to her surprise he met her gaze across the hall. The look on his face had her doubting her ready agreement to a rendezvous. He really shouldn't be looking at her like that with all those people between them. What if someone noticed?

_What have I gotten myself into?_

She sat down and contemplated her own actions as her friends busily started chatting with her. She gave absent answers. Oh well. It was too late to turn back now. Whether or not it ended well, she knew one thing. This something with George Weasley would wondrous and eventful and quite possibly the experience of her life. She would never regret it. She turned and found his eyes with hers again. She gulped, audibly.

He looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.

_Uh-oh. This already feels dangerous._

Padma turned slowly back to her meal. She continued to eat without really tasting the food.

Author's Note: Sorry there was no love play, but I felt it was important to dedicate this chapter to the forming of the deep bond they are going to create with each other. Next chapter will be much more fun, I promise! As always, thanks for reading, and please, please review! *EruditeAmber


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. That credit goes to Ms. Jo Rowling, but I like pretending they're mine.

Padma had worked hard to get all of her homework done early.

_Maybe too early. If I'd stretched it out more, I wouldn't have had all this extra time to think._

The fact that she had agreed to a rendezvous with George Weasley was currently wearing strongly on her nerves. She wasn't going to back down, of course not, but she was so nervous she was close to stuttering.

She had already decided to stay in the common room until it was time to go. She was still making the pretense of studying, so that everyone would think she was busy. When it was time to leave, everybody would have long been in bed. That way, if any of the girls woke up before she got back, they would assume she was still studying.

Padma glanced at the clock. It was 10:30. Suddenly a thought struck her and jumped up out of the chair.

_Taking another shower seems a great idea._

She dashed upstairs, passing Luna on the way.

"Hello Padma," Luna sighed.

"Hey Luna. How is everything?"

"Oh, no complaints, not really. I'm heading for bed. I'm really tired tonight."

"Well, I wish you a good night's rest then."

Luna smiled her usual vacant but pretty smile and continued up the stairs to her dormitory.

Padma proceeded to get in the shower. The hot water helped to sooth her and get rid of the majority of her nerves. She scrubbed her skin until it glowed like gold dust, and she washed her hair twice with her Hibiscus shampoo.

_I know I'm being neurotic, but if the only thing I can control about tonight is that I'll be clean and smell pleasant, then dammit, I'll see to it well._

She laughed aloud at herself as she turned off the water and stepped out to dry off. Then, as she was carefully drying her hair, another thought struck.

_What should I wear? I can't wear my pajamas. It's too cold in the castle._

Luckily, the other girls were still down in the common room. They would wonder why she was searching for fresh clothes when she should be getting ready for bed.

Finally she settled on clean jeans and a sturdy violet sweater. On an afterthought she added a drop of her rose perfume to pressure points. The scent was heady and wonderful. Her mother made the perfume herself, and kept Parvati and herself well supplied in it.

Padma brushed her hair methodically, 100 times. It gave her something to do besides worry, and it helped pass the time. The other girls had come in here and there. Two were in bed, two were still getting ready.

"Padma, your books are still downstairs."

"I know Su. I'm not quite finished studying yet. I'm going back down."

"Oh. Alright then. I'm for bed," with that, Su Li got into bed.

Padma walked back downstairs to the common room and looked at the clock. It was 11:40.

_Merlin! I'd better get going._

She left her books and bag where they were and headed out and toward the Astronomy Tower.

When she got to the top of the tower, what she saw took her breath away. George was standing, staring out the window, with his back to her. But spread on the cold floor was a thick burgundy wool blanket, and there were a few simple white candles scattered and lit about the large room.

She hadn't expected the romance of it, but found herself melting that he had thought to do this for her.

He still hadn't turned around. Padma took a tentative step forward and quietly spoke his name.

He turned and grinned. "Hello Padma dear."

She smiled back. "George, I have just one question."

"Ask away."

"What if Filch catches us?" she said this with such a terrorized expression that he couldn't help but laugh at her. Temper flared in her eyes.

"Sorry love, but you just looked so stricken. I know Filch's rounds by heart. He does the same thing everynight. The towers he checks first, and the he leaves the Astronomy Tower around eleven. He won't be back, I promise you."

Padma was mollified. "Okay then. It was awfully sweet of you to do all this," she indicated the blanket and candles.

"Well I am something of a gentleman, and of course I wouldn't let you lie on a freezing stone floor."

George crooked his finger at her, and she immediately started toward him. She was overwhelmed by the magnetism that seemed to be between them. She had never felt anything like it in her life.

When she stood toe to toe with him, he laced his fingers at the small of her back and brought his lips to hers. He tasted delicious and excitement coursed through her entire body. She was no longer tense, nor afraid. She was going to enjoy this to the fullest.

_This is going to be fun…_

Author's Note: Next chapter will be up by tomorrow. Sorry things haven't been on schedule guys, but my grandmother died last week, and I've been dealing with some raging emotions. So the detailed, wonderful first love scene between these two lovely characters will be available to you guys tomorrow. I promise. For obvious reasons, I haven't much been in the mood to write love scenes. But the lull is over, I assure you all. With love, EruditeAmber


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